HEALTH watchdogs have given Leighton Hospital 30 days to shape up after naming and shaming it in a damning report.

Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust was one of only eight acute hospital trusts in the country to receive a rating of 'weak' for quality of service and resource management.

Bosses at the cash-strapped Trust have been told to come up with an immediate action plan to cure its ailments.

The verdict, delivered by the Health-care Commission's new performance league table, couldn't have come at a worse time for the hospital.

A series of job cuts have been made to help its flagging finances and shake off massive debts.

But Healthcare Commission chief executive Anna Walker ruled the country was suffering from too many 'weak' trusts which had issues they needed to address quickly.

She said: 'It is no secret that the NHS has struggled with finances over the past year. But this assessment shows it is not only deficits that are the problem. It shows that many organisations do not have adequate financial systems in place.'

Trust chief executive Stephen Eames said that, despite the poor rating, there were certain areas highlighted as good

in the report.

He said: 'We recognised we had not achieved compliance in some of the core standards when we submitted our self-assessment in April.

'Since that time I am confident we have already addressed many of the areas highlighted as weak in this, the first annual health check, particularly in relation to cancelled operations and wait-

ing times.

'Since the annual health check took place we have improved the way in which we record and report inpatient and outpatient waiting times.

'More accurate systems are now in place and the Trust is now achieving national waiting time targets.'

Mr Eames said a poor rating for use of resources had been expected at a time

when the Trust was £2m in the red.

A Back to the Black recovery strategy was expected to put it on an even keel during the next year.

Mr Eames added: 'The rating relates to a period when the Trust had itself recognised the need for change.

'There is strong evidence to suggest the health check for the year we are now in will produce a much higher rating.'